Why Kashmir Does Not Interest the Rich and the Powerful ?
Professor Dr Shahida Wizarat
Jammu and Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of the partition. While Pakistanis and Indians exercised their right to self determination in 1947, the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have yet to exercise their right. A right which has been guaranteed to them by the UN and accepted by both Pakistan and India. This is against a scenario when western populations of Quebec in Canada and Scots in Britain have exercised the right to decide whether they want to stay or secede from their present states. Similarly, people in Ache and South Sudan didn’t have to struggle much, and every thing happened very smoothly and quickly for them. There was very little time lag between demanding self determination and achieving independence. What is so special about the people of Jammu and Kashmir that they have to keep laying down their lives for the last 72 years without the major powers paying any heed ? The only difference seems to be on account of religion, as these poor souls are Muslims, while the South Sudanese and Achean people are Christians. Is religion playing a factor in deciding global strategic and political matters, when most western countries claim to be totally secular? If indeed religion is the deciding factor, then there seems to be a real disconnect between Western people who are actually secular and their governments that are only overtly secular, but covertly religious.
Jammu and Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of the partition. While Pakistanis and Indians exercised their right to self determination in 1947, the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have yet to exercise their right. A right which has been guaranteed to them by the UN and accepted by both Pakistan and India. This is against a scenario when western populations of Quebec in Canada and Scots in Britain have exercised the right to decide whether they want to stay or secede from their present states. Similarly, people in Ache and South Sudan didn’t have to struggle much, and every thing happened very smoothly and quickly for them. There was very little time lag between demanding self determination and achieving independence. What is so special about the people of Jammu and Kashmir that they have to keep laying down their lives for the last 72 years without the major powers paying any heed ? The only difference seems to be on account of religion, as these poor souls are Muslims, while the South Sudanese and Achean people are Christians. Is religion playing a factor in deciding global strategic and political matters, when most western countries claim to be totally secular? If indeed religion is the deciding factor, then there seems to be a real disconnect between Western people who are actually secular and their governments that are only overtly secular, but covertly religious.
The first time I heard of London was in the 1950s, when as a little girl I heard my mother read aloud a news story about an accident a little boy met on a London street and died. Almost 25 years afterwards when I arrived in London on my way to the US, I was thinking about the little boy who got killed in a road accident in London. And visiting different parts of London, I kept thinking whether the boy met with the accident on a street in Central London, Ealing, Surbiton or Golders Green ? And when I returned to England on my way back to Pakistan and then back to England to do my PhD, I was still haunted by the little London inhabitant who got killed on a London street years ago. Little did I realise how many little girls and boys along with their parents and siblings will be mercilessly killed, maimed and blinded by the inhuman and cannibalistic beasts who call themselves human beings. How many in the western world feel the same empathy for the little Kashmir children, youths and elderly in Occupied Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and Indian Muslims whose tongues, limbs and other body parts are being cut one by one to inflict maximum pain and suffering !
All these oppressed, mutilated, injured men, humiliated women, children blinded with pellet guns who are being severely beaten by the Indian police and the army look up to the UN Security Council to give them justice, to implement the UN Security Council Resolution no 47 of 21 April 1948. But the Security Council is not much interested in fulfilling its own resolution. If the murderers and butchers belonged to some Muslim country, they would have been immediately declared terrorists and punitive action taken against them. But here the oppressors are hindus and the oppressed are muslims ! If one looks at the composition of the Security Council members the reason for the lack of interest starts making sense. All the Security Council members are armament producing countries, facing serious recessions in their economies. Will they come to the rescue of the oppressed Kashmiris or use the Kashmir conflict to increase armament sales to the warring parties, provide employment to their populations, fight the recession and bring prosperity to their countries. The impact emanating from Sard’s (1951) Permanent War Economy and Kidron’s (1967) Permanent Arms Economy, followed by several Marxist and Keynesian economists peaked in the aftermath of 9/11, with coalition of nations faced with recession going around the world starting with Afghanistan followed by Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen knocking down country after another under the smoke screen of some altruistic motive.
Since most of the permanent members of the Security Council are former colonial powers conflicts like Palestine, Kashmir and innumerable others were created by them to keep dipping in to increase their GDPs when faced with recessions. It is now the most commonly used method rich countries faced with recessions use to expand economic activity in the face of recession. This is in line with the advice the Rand Corporation gave to the US government in the backdrop of the 2008 recession. At that time the US was engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Rand Corporation advised the US government that two wars will not be enough to get the US out of the recession. It said a very big war is required to get the US out of the recession. Very soon afterwards the Arab Springs happened, also all the conflicts in Africa, disputes between China and Japan over islands,
etc erupted like wild fire.
So while the poor Kashmiris look up to the Security Council, the latter are quietly calculating how much prosperity the killings in Kashmir will increase their Gross Domestic Product. Death and destruction in Kashmir, Pakistan and India, in case of a full blown war will expand output and create jobs in many of the Security Council countries. The dead, the injured and the blind will bring prosperity to them. How long are we going to allow this cannibalistc world order to go on taking our loved ones ?
The biggest challenge Pakistan faces today is the India-US-UK-Israel axis which is benefiting from the oppression of the people in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Almost all the permanent members of the Security Council plus Israel are arms suppliers to India. It is most ironical that the same countries that are benefiting from the conflict are also world leaders expected to make peace in the world ! Will they work against their own financial and monetary interests to bring peace to Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Libya? It is in their best interests to have several such festering wounds that keep their economies stable and prosperous. And the benefits are not limited to the armament industry. If these conflicts lead to famines the rich countries will, in their utmost generosity donate Genetically Modified food that are banned in their countries to those afflicted by famine in Kashmir and other Muslim countries destroyed by the rich armament producing countries. Not only will this increase profits of the chemical seed cos, it will also boost the pharmaceutical industry when the virus in the GM food will spread different diseases to the already oppressed and starved people !
The strategic Hindu, Christian and Jewish alliance stands to benefit from the Kashmir conflict. India is hoping to reap political benefits, USA, UK and Israel aspiring to benefit from the sale of arms, GM food and medicines. Why has Pakistan not been able to form its own strategic alliance ? We have a very close relationship with China, but will China be able to come to our rescue in case we have to face the combined Hindu-Jewish Christian alliance?
China is Pakistan’s very dependable strategic ally, and India and its allies knew that it will not be persuaded to leave Pakistan to fend for itself against such a formidable alliance. Therefore, a pro democracy movement had to be organized in Hong Kong to keep China engaged. The timing of the movement is enough to convince even a lay person that it is an engineered movement to prevent China from coming to our rescue.
What about the growing, albeit slow pace of Pak Russian ties ? Russia has stood by her friends under threat, but it is only when the element of trust exists. The Russian Federation (the former Soviet Union) has contributed to peace and stability in war torn areas around the world. We in Pakistan remember the Tashkent Peace Agreement between Pakistan and India through the auspices of the Soviet Union. What is Russian perception of the present Government of Pakistan (GOP) ? Do they view GOP as a “of the US, for the US, by the US” dispensation with a ‘Made in US’ label ? If that is the case, one can understand the reluctance of the Russians to come and stand by us in these crucial times. A competent and honest government which is free of influences that have been tarnishing the image of Pakistani governments will strengthen our defenses beyond our imagination.
Besides having a credible and trustworthy government that inspires the confidence of regional powers, what more needs to be done ? While the Indian government has done its home work, Pakistan Government is trying to assure the people of Pakistan that they are doing something, instead of taking concrete steps to help Pakistan and the Kashmiris out of this horrendous situation. For example, it knows very well that the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) is composed of self interested member states, who have aligned them selves with India, giving their highest civilian awards to India. GOP is planning to call an OIC meeting to discuss the Kashmir issue, knowing very well that it will not lead to anything.
When India scrapped Articles 370 and 35 A from the Indian Constitution, Government of Pakistan (GOP) said they will close all Indian TV channels. They were closed for only two days. But on the 3rd day all the channels opened again. India is making billions of $s through this source. Pakistan continues to export rock salt to India, which is exported in packaged form by India making billions of $s. Pakistan’s precious metals are also sent to India in raw form and India makes billions of $s through cutting, polishing and exporting them. GOP is giving very loud statements in support of the Kashmiris, but actions speak louder than words. Through its actions GOP is helping India to earn the foreign exchange it requires to buy pellet guns and other ammunition to kill, maim and blind the people of Jammu and Kashmir ! If GOP is itself providing finances to India to purchase pellet guns and cluster bombs against the helpless people of Jammu and Kashmir, how can it expect other countries to sacrifice their economic interests for the Kashmiris ?
What needs to be done further is to form coalitions with countries and groups which share our interests, irrespective of their religion. Iran’s most revered spiritual leader Ayatollah Khemnei and President Erdogan have supported the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir without any effort from the Government of Pakistan. These are our true and trustworthy friends. So are Afghan Taleban on whom we can count to stand by us. Pakistani and Indian Sikhs, Indian Communists and Tamils have taken positions on the Kashmir issue based on ethics and high moral ground. We need to network with them as well as with Nagaland, Dalits and poor Muslims in India, Muslims in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh. They have been agitating against the oppression of Muslims in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. All conscientious people in US, Europe, Canada, and all those who take a high moral ground, and are not guided by their petty commercial interests will help to thwart the axis being evolved against Pakistan. I remember the British Labour Party Manifesto of the early 1980s under Mr Neil Kinnock, which recognized the part played by the British in creating the Kashmir dispute, and hence their resolve to help in its settlement. But there have been several Labour Party governments in Britain since then, and none have contributed towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. I suppose the British politicians are like their Pakistani counterparts, who are in favor of borrowing from the IMF when in power and against such borrowings when in the opposition. And fully behind the Kashmiri cause when in opposition, but tilted towards India and the US when in government. Such is the breed of species we call politicians !
drwizarat@icloud.com
References
Kidron, Michael,(1967), The Permanent Arms Economy, internet.
Sard, (1951), “The Permanent War Economy,” The New International.
